Abradant and holder therefor



J. w. GOTTSCHALK ET Al.

ABR ADANT AND HOLDER THEREFOR June 8, 1937.

Filed Oct. 7, 1932 ATTORNEY.

Patented June 8, 1937 UNlTED STATS PT ii 3 'E Gottschalk, AnnieGottsohalk executrix of said John W. Gottschalk, deceased ApplicationOctober '7, 1932, Serial No. 636,679

1 Claim.

The object of our present invention is to devise a a novel constructionand arrangement of an abradant which can be attached to a handle so thatinstead of the user grasping the metallic bunch of abradant, a graspinghandle is provided.

A further object of the invention is to devise a novel abradant whereina metallic strand is used which may or may not be flattened or deformedin cross section and which has been formed into a helical coil. This ispreferably accomplished by passing the abradant over a curling edgewhile under tension so that one surface of the abradant is stretchedlongitudinally of the strand thereby imparting to the strand, whenreleased from tension, an inherent tendency to curl, or, in other words,to form a helical coil which is preferably continuous. The strand isthen wound into an elongated tubular member and during the winding thetension is preferably such that juxtaposed coils of the strand interlockwith each other throughout the mass of such member so that after themember is stretched it will, when released, return substantially to'itsnormal formation. A fastening member, such as, for example, bent wire,has one end member inserted through the tubular member and the ends ofsuch fastening member are then brought into proximity to each other thusproviding two members which can beinserted in an aperture in a handle inwhich they are retained by any suitable fastening means. When thistubular cylinder of abradant is brought together in this manner theabradant is somewhat compressed and as the loops in proximity to thehandle on opposite sides of such handle extend downwardly towards thefree end of the handle, they are preferably turned over the prongs ofthe fastening device thus placing a tension on the bunch of abradant sothat a flexible and resilient bunch is provided at the forward end ofthe handle, the juxtaposed strands of the bunch interlocking throughoutthe mass of abradant so that the bunch retains its bunch formationduring the life of the bunch.

With the above and other objects in view, as

will hereinafter more clearly appear, our invention comprehends a novelabradant, a novel method of making it, and novel means for securing itin bunch formation to a handle.

Other novel features of construction and advantage will hereinafter moreclearly appear in the detailed description and the appended claim.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, we have shown in theaccompanying drawing typical embodiments of it, which, in practice,

will give satisfactory and reliable results. It is, however, to beunderstood that the various instrumentalities of which our inventionconsists can be variously arranged and organized, and our invention isnot limited to the exact arrangement and organization of theseinstrumentalities, as herein set forth.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing one step of the operation wherethe strand is being wound upon a mandrel. 10

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the interlocked strands after theirremoval from the mandrel.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of a fastening device.

Figure 4 shows another step of the operation 15 where one prong of thefastening device has been inserted in the tubular member of theabradant,

Figure 5 shows the next step of the operation, showing in side elevationthe abradant as it appears after the fastening device has been passed 20therethrough and the prongs bent into proximity to each other.

Figure 6 shows the next step of the operation, showing inside elevationthe abradant and the fastening device after the end loop portions of 25the abradant have been passed over the prongs of the fastening device.

Figure 7 is aside elevation, partly in section, of the handle.

Figure 8 is a side elevation of the abradant and 30 its handle in itsassembled condition ready for use.

Figure 9 is a plan view of another embodiment of our invention.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corre- 35 sponding parts.

Referring to the drawing:

I designates a metallic strand which is in the form of a helical coilhaving an inherent tendency to curl and preferably formed by coiling it40 under tension. If desired, the strand may be passed over a curlingedge under tension so that one surface of the strand is stretched andwhen the tension is released the strand forms a helical coil. We havedeemed it unnecessary to illus- 45 we employ a fastening device 5, suchas, for example, a wire or band which has been bent upon itself to formthe prongs 6. One of the prongs 6 is passed throughthe tubular mass ofabradant as shown in Figure 4, and it will be noted that it is necessaryto longitudinally compress the abradant to have such prong pass throughit. In other words, the tubular mass of abradant is preferably longerthan the prong. The prongs are then brought together as shown in Figure5 and the two prongs are bent towards each other. This draws closelytogether the inner portions of the tubular mass of abradant while theouter portions deflect outwardly, but, of course, they are allintimately interlocked as shown in Figure 5. It will be seen from thisFigure 5 that the end portions are looser and less compact than theother portions of the bunch and the end portion at each side isstretched towards the other side and looped over the prongs '6- so thatthe bunch of abradant and its fastening device now appear as shown inFigure 6 with the prongs 6 in close proximity to each other.

A simple and economical construction of handle which can be employedconsists of a piece of material 7, such as, for example, wood,

bakelite, or any other desired material, having an aperture 8 openingthrough one end adapted to receive the prongs 6.

In Figure 8 we have shown the abradant and its fastening device as shownin Figure 6 inserted into the handle 1 thusshowing the abradant and itshandle in its completed condition.

Due to the characteristics of the coiled strand and the manner in whichjuxtaposed strands interlock throughout the mass of. the abradant, thedeviceis especially adapted for use in place of the ordinary dish clothas it does not scratch.

Our present invention, although especially adapted for cleaning dishesand kitchen utensils, can be advantageously employed in cleaning andpolishing any desired material.

In Figure 9'we have shown another embodiment of our invention in whichthe tubular member has a fastening device, such as, for example,

- a wire 9 which is passed through it and'twisted,

or otherwise fastened, and the free ends are inserted into the flexibleand resilient metallic bunch thus formed by bending the free ends uponthemselves and deflecting them around the annuwill return tosubstantially its normal position.

In this form of our invention the helical strand portions are, ingeneral, radially'disposed although some of the strand portions extendin different directions especially after the flexible and resilientmetallic bunch has been worked together by subjecting it to pressureeither mechanically or by the hands of the operator.

It will now be apparent that we have devised a new and usefulabradantand holder therefor which embodies the features of advantageenumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the abovedescription, and while we have, in the present instance, shown anddescribed prcferred embodiments thereof which will give in practicesatisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that theseembodiments are susceptible of modification in various particularswithout departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as claimedor sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:-

VA flexible and resilient metallic bunch and holder therefor comprisingan open ended tubular bunch of a coreless' helical metallic strand withjuxtaposed coils interlocked, and the holder comprising a straight stiffstrand bent upon itself to form a loop and prongs, with the prongspassing.

through the bunch and with the loop at the center of the bunch, andhaving the, prongs extending beyond the bunch and compressingthe portionof the bunch between'them from the center towards its outer peripherywith the loosev

